Just as the work of welcoming and hospitality to strangers is a ministry that belongs to the whole community, so too the work of caring for the needs of our members is a ministry that belongs to the whole community. Just as members of our Greeters Team serve to model best practices of welcoming for the community, and invite others to share more fully in our work of welcoming strangers, so too members of our Pastoral Care Team serve to model best practices of caring for the community, and invite others to share more fully in our work of caring for members.

Pastoral Care involves both spiritual and practical responses to people in need. Our Pastoral Care Core Team includes our clergy staff along with lay and ordained members with particular expertise in pastoral care or counseling. (In the coming year we hope to add new therapists and spiritual directors to the team of healers offering affordable healing services through the Hildegard Center at Canterbury. Stay tuned for more details.) Our Pastoral Care Support Team includes all our members, who offer their gifts to help care for those in need.

To schedule an appointment for pastoral care, to request a communion visit from a Eucharistic Minister, or to request other pastoral, spiritual, or practical support please call or text the church office: 505-247-2515.(In case of an urgent pastoral emergency please contact Sylvia+ directly on her personal cell phone.) We love you, and your wellness matters to us, but we can't read your mind!

​Note: Healthy pastoral care begins with healthy and direct communication! If you know of someone in need, please encourage them to reach out and ask for the prayer and support they need and desire directly.

Get Involved

Pray

​You can submit your prayer request at any time, day or night, to the Canterbury Prayer Group! Simply email your prayer request to canterbury_prayers@googlegroups.com. If you’d like to join the Canterbury Prayer Group and receive prayer requests from the community by email, simply email Sylvia+ and request to be added to the group.

Become a Eucharistic Visitor

One important way we provide pastoral care is through the ministry of Eucharistic Visitors, who bring communion to those who cannot be physically present with the community in the Sunday liturgy. Please visit our Eucharistic Visitors Page for resources specific to Eucharistic Visitors. If you would like to become a Eucharistic Visitor, or request a visit from a Eucharistic Visitor, please contact the church office!

Give a Ride

We have a number of members whose participation in the life of the church is limited due to transportation issues. If you are willing to share a ride to/from church on Sundays or meetings, please do so!

Other

· Serving as a Eucharistic Visitor and bringing communion to the homebound

· Bringing a meal to a family celebrating a new baby

· Running errands for someone recovering from surgery

Bringing your happy baby or friendly dog to visit someone who is lonely

Going to sing or play music at the bedside of a person in hospice

· Sending birthday and anniversary cards to members on behalf of the parish

· Offering a ride to church for someone who can’t drive or doesn’t have a car

· Helping facilitate a small group, such as a Couples Group or Grief Group

· Hosting a dinner for newcomers to get to know other members

· Putting together Care Packages for College Students

Helping organize the reception for a memorial service

​The possibilities are as endless as the gifts God has given us!

Pastoral Care Basics​

The art of pastoral care begins with prayer and good listening. Following these guidelines will help enable you provide the best possible care to someone in need:

STOP TALKING. You can't listen if you are talking.

SHOW THAT YOU WANT TO LISTEN. Look and act interested. Focus on the person.

SIT AT EYE LEVEL. This is especially important if someone is in bed! Don't loom over them.

EMPATHIZE. Listen to understand, rather than to cheer up or change.

BE PATIENT. Don't rush the speaker. Don't interrupt.

ASK OPEN ENDED QUESTIONS. Let the other person guide the conversation.

LISTEN FOR THE MESSAGE AND FEELING BEHIND THE WORDS.

REFLECT THE FEELING AND THE MESSAGE. Reflect back the feeling and the message you received from the speaker. "Hmm. Your surgery was rescheduled again. It sounds like you're feeling really angry. Is that right?" "So your daughter is in town, and I hear you saying that you're feeling overwhelmed. Would it be better if we planned our visit for another day?"

LISTEN ATTENTIVELY. Do not formulate an answer when the person is speaking. Sometimes an answer isn't even needed!

BE AWARE. Notice your own mental, physical, and psychological state. What is going on inside of you? What are you reacting to?

RELAX. Breathe. Be yourself. You are there to be there. You don't have to do anything else.

ALWAYS ASK, NEVER ASSUME. It's tempting to assume we know what a person needs: they need prayer, they need a meal, they need a visit, they need a ride. We may be right. They may need it, but they might not want it. They may need it, but they might not be ready for it. They may need it, but they might need something else even more. They may need it, but they might need to be empowered to ask for it. So always ASK people what they feel, want, and need...even if it seems obvious! Allow people to say "no."

TRUST GOD. Remember that you and the other person are loved by God and held by God. Trust that God is with you, and that God is with that person. Trust that God knows what each of you truly needs, and God is faithful to meet those needs. Trust that God is always in the process of healing, renewing, and restoring all things to wholeness...sometimes with our help, and sometimes in spite of it!

Bereavement Team

In early 2018 we will be forming a new ministry team at Canterbury with a focus on Bereavement Support for our members. If you're interest in being part of this important ministry, please contact Sylvia+.

Members of the Bereavement Team can link to our Bereavement Calendar and other resources on the Bereavement Team page.